UK Doctor Who Treated Jayalalithaa Rejects Foul Play Claims In Her Death

Dr Richard Beale, who treated former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, addressed the media today, Hindustan Times reported. The doctor, talking to the media for the first time, revealed intricate details about Jayalalithaa’s condition and treatment before her death on 5 December 2016 at the Apollo Hospital.

Addressing a gathering of journalists, the doctor said that the Jayalalithaa was awake 10-12 days after incubation. “She was conscious when she signed the Election Commission papers, she read the papers. Since she was very weak, she could not sign the paper and made the thumb impression instead,” Apollo doctors said.

The doctor informed that there were no amputation and transplantation, saying that he saw some marks on the cheeks. “Best treatment was given to Jayalalithaa, but her diabetes led to complications,” Dr Beale said.

Talking about her treatment, the doctor said: “For a period, she was treated with non-invasive ventilation and her initial condition improved somewhat, but as sepsis progressed, it was necessary for her to be put on ventilator. Later, she was fully interactive.” Taking about the cardiac arrest that took her life, he said that her potassium level was not high on the day.

Dr Babu, part of the Apollo team, said that she was speaking till the time she suffered cardiac arrest. “She had cardiac arrest at about 5 pm. It was a witnessed cardiac arrest. Cardiac CPR was started immediately. CPR went on for 20 minutes. We did not get a heart rhythm. ECMO team was immediately informed. They came down immediately. We needed to give the patient time of about 24 hours after being put on ECMO,” he said.

When asked why a press conference was not conducted earlier, the doctors said that there is no political pressure to do so. He ended his remarks saying that the hospital has no CCTV footage of the time. The timing of the press conference is being questioned because it comes at a time when V K Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s close aide, is set to be Tamil Nadu’s next chief minister.